Benburb Football Club is a

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football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

club, based in

Govan Govan ( ; Cumbric: ''Gwovan''; Scots language, Scots: ''Gouan''; Scottish Gaelic: ''Baile a' Ghobhainn'') is a district, parish, and former burgh now part of southwest Glasgow, Scotland. It is situated west of Glasgow city centre, on the sout ...

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. Formed in 1885, the club is a member of the

Scottish Junior Football Association The Scottish Junior Football Association (SJFA) is an affiliated national association of the Scottish Football Association and is the governing body for the junior grade of football (soccer), football in Scotland. The term "junior" refers to the ...

and currently competes in the

West of Scotland Football League The West of Scotland Football League (WoSFL) is a senior football league based in the west of Scotland. The league sits at levels 6–10 on the Scottish football league system, acting as a feeder to the Lowland Football League. Founded in 20 ...

. Benburb's colours are blue and white. The team have been managed since February 2024 by Marty Campbell. Campbell took over from former Airdrie defender Paul Lovering (who had in turn succeeded his father Frank who had been in the job for the previous thirteen seasons.)

History

The origins of the club name are not fully documented, although it has been suggested that the club's name indicates roots in what is now Northern Ireland, with a

village A village is a human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town with a population typically ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand. Although villages are often located in rural areas, the term urban v ...

of the same name being located there, and a significant battle taking place there during the 1640s. The suggestion is that the club was formed by Northern Irish immigrants to Glasgow, but this is not clear. It appears the first team known as Benburb was formed in the Govanhill area of Glasgow (then a separate

burgh A burgh ( ) is an Autonomy, autonomous municipal corporation in Scotland, usually a city, town, or toun in Scots language, Scots. This type of administrative division existed from the 12th century, when David I of Scotland, King David I created ...

) in about 1885. After an aborted merger with a

Gorbals The Gorbals is an area in the city of Glasgow, Scotland, and former burgh, on the south bank of the River Clyde. By the late 19th century, it had become densely populated; rural migrants and immigrants were attracted by the new industries and e ...

team, Crown Athletic, in 1895, a reformed Benburb FC played in the nearby Oatlands neighbourhood until June 1898, when its ground, Braehead Park, was taken over by

Glasgow Corporation Glasgow City Council (Scottish Gaelic: ''Comhairle Baile Ghlaschu'') is the local government authority for Glasgow City council area, Scotland. In its modern form it was created in 1996. Glasgow was formerly governed by a corporation, also kno ...

to be incorporated into the new Richmond Park. That team disbanded, but a 'new' Benburb FC played during the new season later that year and there is thought to be a strong connection between the two clubs.2009 Updates: 25 August
Scottish Football Historical Archive (archived version, 2009) The new Benburb FC eventually found its home in the

area, some miles to the north-west of Oatlands. Initially taking over Govandale Park (situated between the south bank of the

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and Govan Old Parish Church) from the defunct Linthouse club in 1900,Photo of Benburb F.C. Finalists in the Intermediate Cup 1929-30
Acumfaegovan, 14 July 2018, via Facebook they moved south as the demands of industry for the land in central Govan increased, first in 1911 to a park on Broomloan Road owned by Govan Police Force,Glasgow Town Plans, 1914
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) then in 1925 to an open plot at Craigton Park, Drumoyne, immediately north of the

Inverclyde Line The Inverclyde Line is a railway line running from Glasgow Central station through Paisley (Gilmour Street) and a series of stations to the south of the River Clyde and the Firth of Clyde, terminating at Gourock and Wemyss Bay, where it conn ...

railway tracks.Glasgow Town Plans, 1930
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) In spite of the upheaval, they remained members of the various Junior leagues covering the Glasgow area continuously since 1905. From 1932 until 29 March 2014, Benburb was based at the purpose-built Tinto Park,OS National Grid Maps, 1944-1967
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) which in its heyday could hold 10,000 spectators but latterly fell badly into disrepair. After the final match on that day – a 2–1 victory against Johnstone Burgh in a Central League Division 1 game – the land was prepared for housebuilding.Lease of Craigton Park to Benburb Juniors FC

Glasgow City Council Glasgow City Council (Scottish Gaelic: ''Comhairle Baile Ghlaschu'') is the Local government in Scotland, local government authority for Glasgow, Glasgow City council area, Scotland. In its modern form it was created in 1996. Glasgow was former ...

, 12 December 2013 The 2014–15 season was spent ground-sharing with Neilston Juniors while a new ground was built adjacent to the old one (on the same land which was previously Craigton Park). New Tinto Park, now just north of both the railway and the M8 motorway and fitted with 3G

artificial turf Artificial turf is a surface of synthetic fibers made to look like natural grass, used in sports arenas, residential lawns and commercial applications that traditionally use grass. It is much more durable than grass and easily maintained wi ...

, became the new home for the club in summer 2015 (although the facilities were not fully completed until a few months later). New Tinto Park has also been used as the home ground for Rangers W.F.C. from 2015 to 2019, and for Rossvale (originally from

Bishopbriggs Bishopbriggs (; ) is a town in East Dunbartonshire, Scotland. It lies on the northern fringe of Greater Glasgow, approximately from the Glasgow city centre, city centre. Shires of Scotland, Historically in Lanarkshire, the area was once part of ...

) since 2019.Rossvale to quit Huntershill and groundshare with Benburb
Kirkintilloch Herald, 5 May 2019 Harmony Row Juniors now ground share at New Tinto Park

Honours

Scottish Junior Cup The Scottish Junior Cup is an annual football competition organised by the Scottish Junior Football Association (SJFA). The competition has been held every year since the inception of the SJFA on the 2nd October 1886 and, as of the 2023–24 ed ...

*Winners (2): 1933–34, 1935–36 *''Runners-up (3):'' 1937–38, 1942–43, 1979–80

Other Honours

Central League The or , also known as the for sponsorship reasons, is one of the two professional baseball leagues that constitute Nippon Professional Baseball in Japan. The winner of the league championship plays against the winner of the Pacific League i ...

: 1999–00 * West of Scotland Cup: 1940–41, 1941–42, 1982–83, 2001–02 *

Glasgow Junior League The Glasgow Junior Football League (GJL) was a football league competition operated under the Scottish Junior Football Association between 1895 and 1927.

: 1913–14

References

External links

*
Daily Record article about new ground plans

Daily Record article about last match at Tinto Park

Video clip of match at old ground from 2013
{{Football in Glasgow Football clubs in Scotland Govan Association football clubs established in 1885 Scottish Junior Football Association clubs Football clubs in Glasgow 1885 establishments in Scotland West of Scotland Football League teams